huntrule

Windows Schtasks.exe Task Creation Targeting Suspicious Paths or Env Variables

Alerts when schtasks.exe creates tasks whose target path/arguments reference suspicious folders or common environment variables.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
Florian Roth (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-02-21
Updated
2026-07-30
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → Priv Esc

  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. C2

  13. Exfiltration

  14. Impact

What it detects

This rule flags Windows process executions where schtasks.exe is used with /create and the command line references potentially suspicious directories or environment variables frequently abused in persistence and execution. Attackers may schedule tasks to run payloads while blending into normal host activity, so focusing on unusual target paths improves signal quality. It relies on process creation telemetry, including the schtasks.exe image path, command-line arguments, and the parent process command line for the Windows Schedule service.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1053.005 — drag to rearrange
Suspicious Per-Minute SYSTEM Scheduled Task With Highest Privileges
Suspicious Scheduled Task Executing Rundll32 DLL Export by Ordinal
Suspicious Scheduled Task CacheTask Reconfigured to Run as SYSTEM
Malicious NodeSnake RAT Persistence via Scheduled Task and Node.js (via process_creation)
Malicious Scheduled Task Masquerading as Windows Defender Sync via schtasks (via process_creation)
Suspicious Scheduled Task Creation Launching mshta via schtasks (via process_creation)
Suspicious Service or Task Named windowsinspectionupdate (via process_creation)
Suspicious Scheduled Task Creation Referencing dllFake Batch Scripts (via process_creation)
Suspicious Scheduled Task Creation With WebDAV Loader Task Names (via process_creation)
Windows Schtasks.exe Task Creation Targeting Suspicious Paths or Env Variables
Pivot detection · T1053.005 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.